


What helps, helps

by MycroftFeels



Category: The World's End (2013)
Genre: Alcoholics Anonymous, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Gen, Genderbending, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Recovery, Sexswap, Sobriety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-25
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-02-26 23:00:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2669594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MycroftFeels/pseuds/MycroftFeels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gaby was technically supposed to go to AA meetings after getting out of rehab, but she's not really one to follow the rules, not even sober. (This fic is set in an AU in which, after the main events of the movie, everything went back to normal)</p>
            </blockquote>





	What helps, helps

December was not being gentle so far. Gaby had been wrapped in several blankets all afternoon, and God knows how many cups of hot chocolate she had downed in that same period. It was cozy in Andy’s place, and she had no intention of setting foot outside, even if she _had_ technically promised. Actually, she had been promising she would for several days now, but it wasn't only the cold that was stopping her; it was what she had promised to _do_ when she got out there that was making her wrap the blankets tighter around herself while staring out the window and shaking her head with aversion. 

 

“Weren’t you supposed to be at a meeting?”

 

Andy hadn’t even closed the apartment door behind herself before she uttered those words. Every day, since Gaby had gotten out of rehab, Andy would come home from work and go on and on about her not going to meetings. It’s not that Gaby didn’t _want_ to go, it’s that she really, _really_ didn't want to go. She had been locked up in that hellhole of a clinic for an entire month, she had done everything they asked from her, _and_ she had stayed sober for that entire time. Thirty seven days, by the way, but who was counting, really?

 

“It’s freezing out there, though.”

 

She had been giving Andy that answer for the past week and a half. It never shut her up.

 

“I said I'd drive you if you wanted me to.”

 

Oh dear God, wasn’t her car still at the shop?

 

“They say it’s gonna hail.”

 

Since when had she become such a terrible liar? Or maybe she always had been one, but she was just noticing now that she wasn’t constantly in a drunken stupor. Fuck, she missed that.

 

“Gaby…”

 

“I swear, it was on the news earlier!”

 

“You don’t watch the news”

 

“It was on the radio?”

 

It was more of a question than a statement. Andy sat down besides her on the couch and gave her a look.

 

“Have you even been to one single meeting since you got out?”

 

“Come on! It’s been less than two weeks.”

 

She looked at Andy pleadingly. She knew she really needed to go, but it went against everything she stood for to actually do what she was supposed to do.  

 

“You’re supposed to go every day.”

 

Gaby just groaned in response.

 

“Gaby, holidays can be hard, believe me. You’re only a month sober…”

 

“And six days.”

 

“And six days” Andy added. “It’s gonna be tough. You should start doing this right now. It’s just another way to make things easier for yourself.”

 

Gaby sighed the most dramatic sigh she could manage.

 

“Fine. Fine, as long as it shuts you up.”

 

-

 

Gaby walked in into an almost empty room. See? Even the alcoholics knew it was not the best night to get out of the house. She hoped it actually did hail, she hoped Andy’s car got caught in it and that looked like a cellulite infested ass afterwards.  

The only other person in the room looked up and greeted her with a smile.

 

“Hi, I’m Amy.” She offered her hand. “I’m leading the meeting. Is this your first time?”

 

Gaby took her hand and managed a smile.

 

“Gaby. Yeah, it is. Looks like I didn't choose the best night, though.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry, people will show up, you’re just a bit early.” Thanks, Andy. “There’s coffee over there if you’re cold.”

 

 She pointed to a table on the other side of the room. Hell yeah, finally something she could get on board with. If she couldn’t get drunk, at least she was gonna get caffeinated off her ass on free coffee.

 

“Oh, and you know what?” Amy grabbed a marker and handed it to Gaby. “Could you maybe do me the favor of writing the serenity prayer on the board while I set this up?”

 

Gaby stared at the marker being offered to her “Uh…” Was this a good time to come forward as not being exactly the religious type? Probably not. “Sure, why not?”

 

She wrote it on the board with wobbly letters and signed her name afterwards. There was something about blackboards that always made her want to do that.

In the meantime, other people had arrived and had taken their seats on the circle of chairs. Gaby did the same, and, soon enough, Amy began the meeting. Of course, she encouraged Gaby to introduce herself to the group right away.

 

“Hey, I’m Gaby. I’m an alcoholic.” She let her eyes wander to the floor, but looked right back up. “I’ve been sober thirty-seven days, and this is my first meeting outside of rehab. With a bit of luck, it’s gonna be my two month anniversary on Christmas day, so I thought I should come and” she shrugged “get a bit more ready for… facing the holidays, I guess.”

 

Amy nodded. “Are the holidays always a hard time for you?”

 

“No, well, I mean…” shouldn’t someone else be speaking by now? She felt like she had done her part already. “Not when I was drinking.” She laughed, but immediately stopped when she saw the concerned look on people's faces. "I mean" she swallowed "I wasn't really aware of what was going on when I was drinking. I guess holidays were just like any other day."

 

Well, that was a lie. Even when she was blacking out every day she would always have a slight notion of what was going on around her. And she would always get the same knot on her stomach when the cold arrived, because it meant she had spent another year all alone.

Someone else raised their hand to speak. Thank God.

 

“I think it’s kind of overwhelming how much is expected of us this time of the year. All the office parties, family dinners, friends’ reunions… all of them packed with booze. And we’re supposed to sit there with a smile on our faces throughout them all, and toast with apple juice as if it didn’t bother us at all. All of this on top of having to deal with relatives. While sober.”

 

Gaby thought about it. She hadn’t even been _close_ to alcohol since she had gone to rehab. Andy's place was dry, and she hadn't really gotten out that much. Other than beer ads on the telly, she hadn't really had to worry about that just yet. Her stomach turned at the thought.

 

“Can’t you just tell them to fuck off?” The words escaped her mouth before she could stop herself.

 

The guy that had been speaking dedicated her a frown and a half smile. “I’m sorry?”

 

“Yeah, can’t you tell these people to be slightly decent and not to drink around you?”

 

“Are you suggesting I say that to my boss?”

 

“Well, maybe not your _boss._ But what about your family? They love you, right? They can make the effort to not be asses and drink while you're there."

 

The guy huffed a laugh and shook his head.

 

“I’m not gonna tell my eighty-five year old grandma not to be an _ass_.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because she’s eighty-five and she doesn’t really know what’s going on! She’s allowed to have a drink if that’s what she wants to do!”

 

The guy was raising his voice now. Gaby just crossed her arms around her chest and shrugged.

 

“Well, she sounds like an ass to me, then”

 

Gaby wasn’t really sure what happened then. Suddenly everyone stood up and began yelling, especially at her. Amy tried to calm everyone down, but just then some man poked Gaby’s shoulder with his index finger while calling her something or other and she lost it. She pushed him by the shoulders and he almost fell flat on his ass.

The rest was a bit of a blur. She just knew she walked out of there with what would turn into a black eye and definitely fewer buttons on her coat.

 

“You got into a fight in an AA meeting? An AA meeting, Gaby!?”

 

Andy could barely keep her eyes on the road as she drove.

 

“You were right, those meetings really do help.” She said, as she examined her eye on the car mirror.

 

Andy sighed and played the game. “Really?”

 

“Yep. I got to kick someone on the nuts. I needed that.” She turned to Andy with a sly grin on her face, and Andy couldn’t help but smile as well.

 


End file.
